Despite tripling its donation towards gambling harms each year, the gaming industry falls short of what is expected by charitable organizations to reduce such harm. More funding is needed, experts say.
One avenue would be to impose a statutory levy earmarked for problem gambling. The industry opposes such a move, according to the Guardian.
More than 680 firms donated £34.7 million (US$42.8 million) to the industry funded GambleAware charity in the year ending March 31 2022. Voluntary donations amounted to £19 million the previous year and £10.05 million in 2019-20, according to the charity’s figures.
Because it’s voluntary, some firms sanctioned by the regulator for failing to protect high-risk gamblers donated no cash in the past financial year, or small amounts compared with their revenues.
The Malta-based firm Genesis Global was fined £3.8 million in December for social responsibility failings, including allowing an NHS nurse gamble £245,000 in three months. The firm did not donate to GambleAware in the year ending March 31 and gave just £6,000 the previous year, according to the charity’s disclosures.
Liz Ritchie, co-founder of the charity Gambling with Lives, said: “Gambling companies pay what they want when they want and can withdraw funding for health information, research, or treatment they’re not happy with.
“An independently administered statutory levy will ensure many more resources are available to prevent and treat this devastating illness and … free from the influence of the very companies causing that devastation.”
The four biggest gambling companies, Entain, Flutter, William Hill and Bet365, have agreed to donate one percent of their gross gambling yield—revenues after payment of winnings—for gambling prevention and treatment initiatives by 2024, but many firms make limited donations.
Zoë Osmond, chief executive of GambleAware, said: “GambleAware has been consistent in calling on the government to introduce a mandatory levy of 1 percent [of gross gambling yield] on the gambling industry as a condition of a license. We welcome the commitment from the ‘big four’ operators to increase their donations.”
The Betting and Gaming Council, which represents the industry, says a crackdown on the industry could drive gamblers to the black market.
